Hello all, I have a WIP where I'm really trying to make my MC extremely apathetic. For context, it's in the sphere of crime and there are people dying, getting ripped off, betrayed, killed, committing suicide etc. all to no real reaction of the MC. Going back and re-reading, I find my attempts at apathy seem to be, from "fresh eyes", more indicative of my MC being a sociopath, psychopath, majorly depressed or something of the like. Is there a way, stylistically, to convey the MC as apathetic over a more extreme personality trait like above. But more importantly I guess, does this distinction even matter? Edit: I see that I wrote MC Character in the title...woops
Don't make him not react at all, make him react in fun ways. Lots of sighing, eye rolling, rubbing the bridge of his nose or his temple, all these things that quietly say 'Really? This shit again?'. Characterizing him as a long suffering guy who's seen it all and is just really tired and only continuing in this world against his better judgement and with an extreme amount of effort.
I think the problem is, for someone to remain apathetic to all the atrocities you've described, I think they would actually have to BE a sociopath. Why do you want them to remain apathetic?
I hadn't really considered before, but essentially the way @LostThePlot describes it pretty well hits the nail on the head. Thanks all for the help, I'll see if I can put this into action.
Isn't MC Character a rapper? And an audience surrogate who acts shocked, then gets a "This shit happens all the time, get used to it" speech could help you.
Is there a reason WHY your character is apathetic? Has he always been that way? Is he just overwhelmed by all the stuff around him that he can't control? There is a difference between being apathetic and being a psychopath or sociopath. Apathetic people feel no impulse to get emotional about anything. Psychopaths don't care about other people, but they are anything BUT apathetic when it comes to themselves. They can become furious if they are thwarted in any way, and hugely enjoy getting one over on somebody else. They are convinced they are smarter than the average bear, and constantly proving this is what seems to motivate them. They are never apathetic. Sociopaths, on the other hand, often do care very much about certain aspects of their lives, or certain people in their lives ...like maybe they love their gang members or family members, or want to get rid of people they think have hurt any of them in any way. What characterises a sociopath more often than not is uncontrolled rage against what they see as 'the system.' Uncontrolled rage and apathy don't mix. If your apathetic character thinks what the hell, bad shit happens, nothing I can do about it, there will probably be a cause for this. If the reader knows what the cause is, you should be able to portray the character's lack of motivation or empathy without losing the reader's identification with the character. Can you get back to a time when the character DID care? And figure out why this character no longer does?
This is my first real post and I wasn't prepared for the feast for thought, although it is much appreciated. @jannert, excellent points, I guess were I to bring the attitude to a single thought it would be: "Sure it's wrong, sure I could stop doing it, but it'll just be someone else doing it tommorow."
Ah, perhaps I misunderstood you slightly. Do you mean the character is actually doing 'wrong' stuff himself, or is he just observing it happening around him and just doesn't care? If it's the first, I think it's important to consider if he's doing the bad stuff for gain, or just because he feels he has no choice? Is the word 'callous' a better descriptor for your character than 'apathetic?'
